Florida State men’s hoops vs. Miami: Preview, game thread

Florida State men’s basketball (15-10, 6-8) looks to complete the season sweep tonight over arch-rival Miami (6-19, 2-12). The Seminoles are coming off possibly their ugliest loss of the season at home against Clemson, where just about nothing went right for them in a 26-point defeat. The Seminoles should be playing in a “get right” game tonight against the worst team in the ACC, but there are always twists and turns in an emotional matchup. Tonight will be the final time that Leonard Hamilton coaches against his final school, and less importantly, Matthew Cleveland plays against his. ESPN Bet lists FSU as an -8.5 favorite.

How to watch

Make sure to drink some coffee as tonight’s game tips off at 9 PM ET from the Tucker Center. The matchup can also be found on ACC Network.

Notes to know:

– As mentioned, Coach Ham will face his former team for the final time tonight. He made a lasting impact during his tenure with the Hurricanes, becoming the first African-American head coach at UM in any sport in 1991. Although his teams struggled in his first few seasons, he led the Canes to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances in his final three years, including a run to the Sweet 16 in the 99-00 season.

– Since the last time these two teams played, when FSU came out on top, 80-65, not much has changed for either side. The Noles are still inconsistent and incapable of stringing 40 minutes together, while the Hurricanes are still awful, 2-12 in the ACC, although they have won two of their last four. A loss tonight would be determinantal for the Canes, who are trying to qualify for the *checks notes* ACC tournament and still play Duke and North Carolina.

– Luckily for FSU, Miami does not shoot the ball particularly well. They rank 191st in makes per game while draining only 32.2% of their shots behind the arc.

Players to know:

– G Matthew Cleveland: Since Nijel Pack’s injury, Cleveland has carried the burden of Miami’s offense, and mostly everything runs through him. He averages 16.4 points per game on 52% shooting and has scored 20 or more points in four of his last few games, including 32 last Tuesday in a win over Syracuse.

– C Lynn Kidd: Kidd gave Florida State trouble on the defensive glass in their January meeting, grabbing four offensive rebounds, but could not make more of an impact because of foul trouble. The Virginia Tech transfer averages 11 points per game and seven rebounds while shooting 65% from the floor.